In the bid to recover siphoned funds from the Digital Vibes contract, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has unearthed five more companies affiliated with former health minister Zweli Mkhize’s family.
All Out Trading, Tusokuhle Farming, Cedar Falls Properties, Sirela Trading, and Mateta Projects, as well as Mkhize’s daughter-in-law Sithokozile Khalipele Mkhize, have been named as the new respondents in the civil lawsuit brought by the SIU.
This after the tribunal judge Lebogang Modiba allowed the SIU to proceed with the joinder application to include the companies and Sithokozile who were initially left out.
Modiba delivered the judgment on Wednesday.
The SIU found that Cedar Falls Properties had May Mkhize, the wife of the former minister of health, listed as its sole director. Tusokuhle Farming and All Out Trading were linked to Mkhize’s son Dedani Mkhize. Dedani’s wife Sithokozile is the sole director of Azwakele Trading and Projects (Pty) Ltd (Azwakele).
Further SIU probes have uncovered a flow of funds from Mateta Projects to the members of the Mkhize family and companies associated with them.
Although Mkhize was on Tuesday cleared of the Digital Vibes scandal, the SIU says he is suspected to have manipulated the awarding of the contracts to Digital Vibes’ Ms Mather, who happens to be his long-time personal friend and former spokesperson.
On the joinder application, the SIU said: “From the amount of R10.6-million Mateta Projects received from Digital Vibes, it paid money in a series of transactions, allegedly for the benefit of the son of Ms Tehera Mather and specified members of the Mkhize family and their associated companies.
“Between June and October 2020, Mateta Projects allegedly paid R570 000 to All Out Trading. On 27 August 2020, Mateta Projects paid R350 000 to the bank of ‘T Gani’ [Talha Gani], who immediately paid it all to All Out Trading.”
The SIU further explained that for the alleged benefit of Dedani and his mother, Sirela Trading paid R170 000 to All Out Trading and R1 888 727.84 to an Ithala Bank loan account which was advanced to May’s Cedar Falls for the procurement of Cedar Falls farm.
The SIU said it is, for this reason, alleged that the payment was made for the benefit of May Mkhize. The unit added that the money that Sirela Trading distributed among the Mkhizes came from the R3 795 000 that was paid by Mateta Projects.
“R586 272.16 remains to the credit of Sirela Trading,” said the SIU.
According to the SIU, Mateta Projects is also suspected of paying R1 255 000 to Tusokuhle in a series of payments between 24 and 26 October 2020.
While Sithokozile had been ousted as a respondent at first when the SIU made the application, her name has resurfaced and the unit seeks to recover a total amount of R650 098. The unit said it previously sought to recover the money from Sithokozile and Azwakele but later discovered that Sithokozile benefited solely.
It said: “On November 24 2020, Mateta Projects paid R650 098 to Adluli Projects for the shopfitting of Sithokozile Mkhize’s Tammy Taylor Nails Salon in Pietermaritzburg. Azwakele Trading and Projects [Pty] Ltd had made certain payments to Adluli Projects.
“The SIU sought to claim R650 098 from Sithokozile Mkhize and Azwakele jointly and severally. Hence, initially, the SIU sought the joinder of Azwakele as the fourth respondent.”
The SIU will discontinue persisting with Azwakele’s joinder.
Also read: SIU wins appeal to add more people to its Digital Vibes’ investigation
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